Back pain and a close call on the trail

My lower back has been a little painful. This happens to me when I bike a lot and don't also exercise my abs. I first experienced muscle imbalances back in the day when I did more weight lifting. Dead lifts really strengthened my back and shoulders, but they also caused terrible lower back pain. Lysa introduced me to an abdominal workout video. Ok, I confess: I worked out to Abs of Steel with Tamilee Webb. I even memorized the routines! Now, when I feel tightness in my lower back, I just do my abs routine, and all is well - voilà.

Another source of back pain comes from a poorly adjusted bike. When I first got my road bike, I spent a week adjusting the seat tilt and height to where it was comfortable - Too high and my lower back would hurt, too low and my knees would tire (and I couldn't get much power out of each stroke).

I had a close call on the trail today. Two children were on the trail with their mom. The kids were riding scooters. There was a strong head wind which blew my voice back at me. Even had the kids heard me call out "on your left," I don't think it would have made much difference. As I approached from behind, I slowed down to pass on the left. I had passed the mom and one of the children, but just as I was passing the little boy, he swerved toward me on his scooter. I slammed on the brakes. He was suddenly aware of me on his left, and he too stopped. All of this was just in time, and we avoided a collision. Whew! My heart was pounding for the next 10 minutes!